Home of the Freedom Pass Anarchists and the wonderful world of professional wrestling, psychogeography, allotments and the class struggle.

“The society which has abolished every kind of adventure makes its own abolition the only possible adventure.” Paris, May 1968

Sunday, 12 May 2013

Could they still make The History Boys.

When what was left of the Revolutionary Communist Party metamorphosed into The Institute Of Ideas and Spiked Online dreary Marxist rhetoric was replaced with a far more entertaining brand of self-important contrarianism. On Radio 4's Moral Maze panelist Claire Fox is introduced as "Claire Fox of The Institute Of Ideas", as if they were talking about Harvard or one of the great teaching hospitals. I'm not knocking it. We need people who will fly in the face of received wisdom (no matter how noble) and say the unsayable. When Spiked published Barbara Hewson's critique of Operation Yewtree it was bound to upset the apple cart. Not that I'm suggesting that Hewson is right in her defence of ageing celebs accused of unwanted gropeing half a century ago but it might be an idea to just pause for thought. The History Boys was shown on TV recently. The teacher Hector has genuine concern for the boys in his charge but he also lusts after their young bodies. Hector is not a monster but a bumbling, if likeable, old fool who should keep his hands to himself. It's a wonderfull play that adapted well to the screen but I'm not sure if in the current climate The History Boys could be made anymore.